NHL TRIES TO GET ITS MESSAGE OUT ON TEAM HELP IN CANADA

After appearing with other NHL execs before a House of
Commons subcommittee on Tuesday, Flames Chair Harley
Hotchkiss said he felt the group's presentation on the state
the game in Canada "was pretty well received by the members
of the commission," according to George Johnson of the
CALGARY SUN. But Hotchkiss adds that "some of the media
people, in my opinion, totally misread our intentions."
Hotchkiss: "They regarded it as nothing more than a quick
tax grab. I don't think that's right and I don't think
that's fair. That's just a shallow viewpoint. We wanted to
present some of the problems we as an industry face. I think
the members of the commission listened to and understood our
dilemma." One potential source of money for teams could be
a lottery prize bond (CALGARY SUN, 4/30).
A TOUGH SELL WITH MEDIA: In Ottawa, Earl McRae
dismisses the contention made by NHL Commissioner Gary
Bettman and team execs who compared pro hockey to the
Canadian lumber, agriculture and gas exploration industries,
writing those are "economically 'essential.' Hockey is not.
It's a diversional entertainment, nothing more" (OTTAWA SUN,
4/30). In Calgary, Mark Miller writes that the NHL "needs
to first look in the mirror for solutions" before receiving
government aid. Miller: "The truth is that the NHL is run
by a board of governors largely indifferent to the fate of
Canada's small-market franchises. ... The haves of the NHL
will continue to exploit the have-nots with irresponsible
free-agent signings and the players association will stand
idly by and let it all happen, because, their mandate is to
get as much as they can" (Mark Miller, CALGARY SUN, 4/30).